Melting

“The hot days melted into one another like our Popsicles.” — Susan Senator, “Summer Without Structure“The Washington Post, 2005

Summer comes and my stash of chocolate sits on the shelf. The recipes are too rich and dense to whet the appetite, and I’d sooner bake my brain than turn on the oven when it’s pushing a hundred degrees outside. But this recipe from Karen Solomon’s “Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And other Cooking Projects” tempted me enough that I temporarily abandoned my spot in front of the swamp cooler and went back to the stove. Little hands, a few stops to fish out Cheerios tossed in by one eager cook, and a short chase through the house with a chocolate-covered spoon resulted in one decadent dessert. Enjoy the illustrated recipe for fudgesicles and have a happy Fourth of July.

In a pot, whisk the milk, water, corn syrup, sugar, cocoa and salt. Heat over medium heat for about 5 mintues, stirring occasionaly, until there are no lumps. Remove from heat. (I couldn’t get rid of the lumps, so I strained the mixture at this point.) Add vanilla and butter, stir until melted.